Jack from Carrabelle

Jack grew up in West Virginia. His dad was a coal miner so he grew up in a coal mining camp. Although he went to church some as a boy, as soon as he was 16, he left home and church became of no importance to him.

Then Jack joined the military. Before the military, he smoked some, but after joining, he began to drink too and "carousing with women." During some of his bad times of drunkenness he remembers praying that God wouldn't let him die in his current state. He even remembers going to a church with some other guys when he was 22. The reason: the girls were there. But the message from the preacher was convicting to him - but not enough to change his ways.

Jack spent 20 years in the military. During that time, his older brother came to know Christ. So when he would go to visit him, his brother wanted him to accept Christ. According to Jack, his brother wasn't any fun to be with anymore. They used to go out to party and drink together.

Jack wasn't married. He decided not to get married because he knew that if he did, he wouldn't be faithful to his wife.

He left the military at age 40.

Jack's brother prayed for him as well as others in the family who had also become Believers. Then, one Sunday afternoon while he was watching football, Jack said the Holy Spirit "dropped on me" and he fell on his knees and ask Christ to come into his life. Just like that. His life was changed. He credits his turnaround to people praying for him.

Once saved at the age of 41, Jack felt he needed someone to spend his life with, a mate he could love and be faithful to and share life with. So circumstances happened to bring his now current wife into his life. That was 28 years ago. Jack is now 73 and is a faithful member of Carrabelle First Baptist, doing ministry wherever he can, particularly to the elderly.

Learnings: This was a matter of Jack coming to Christ through the loving and persistent ways of his brother, and other family members. There was no crisis, he just felt it was time.